The skies of southern Chile lit up with fire and ash as the Villarrica volcano erupted early Tuesday. The eruption forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 people from the region. Photos of the event offer a startling look at this active volcano.

Some activists who took part in environmental protests against the Keystone XL pipeline and other projects have attracted the attention of the FBI. They and their lawyers say the government is simply following a decades-old playbook of intimidation.

Since 2011, California has been in the grip of one of the worst droughts in recent history. It's shrinking water reserves, intensifying wildfires and, so far, costing farmers billions of dollars in agricultural losses. But all of that may be just a preview of what’s to come later this century.

Imagine heading down to your favorite beach, expecting to hear the crashing of waves, but instead hear silence and see slushie-like waves roll in off the Atlantic ocean. That's just what happened to photographer Jonathan Nimerfroh on a very cold Nantucket morning.

If you've gone snorkeling, diving or whale-watching, the photos and videos you post online are becoming an important part of scientific research on some marine species. That's especially true in the case of the whale shark, the world's biggest fish.

President Obama vetoed a bill that would approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, but that still doesn't mean the project is officially dead. But with collapsed oil prices and a world moving away from fossil fuels, would Keystone's builders eventually regret it if they do win approval?

If you've given up on reading paper books for the ease of your e-reader's screen, you may want to step back a bit. Neuroscience confirms that our brains use different areas to read on paper and screens, and you need to exercise both.

We humans have been dropping "um," "uh" and other expressions of hesitation into our speech for a long time — maybe for as long as we've had language. More recently, linguists are noting a shift in usage across a number of Germanic languages from "uh" to "um."

Scientists are warning West African villagers to stop hunting bush meat and to stay away from fruit bats as they circle in a possible animal source for the latest Ebola outbreak. The Ebola virus lives in fruit bats, scientists believe, and is threatening communities who are already facing the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.

Scientists say a girl born with HIV two-and-a-half years ago appears to have been cured. Though the apparent breakthrough is limited to one infant case, the news may give hope to the millions of people living with the HIV virus around the globe.

You may have noticed that more and more wine bottles — even expensive ones — are increasingly coming with screw tops and synthetic stoppers. You might not think much about the stopper when you make a purchase, but cork producers want you to start. They're mounting a campaign to show that real cork is better for the planet.

People around the world are up in arms about the way Danish zoo officials killed a healthy giraffe and fed it to the lions. But the zoo is defending its decision as a way of protecting the giraffe population from inbreeding.

Genetically modified crops are a big part of both our food supply and our debates about health and safety. But some scientists and observers argue those debates are getting the science of GMOs wrong, and grouping together crops that don't belong in the same argument.

Plants have senses that put humans to shame. Not only do they hear (yes, it's true) and smell, they can also sense the presence of water, and even an object in their space. Now new research suggests that plants can actually learn and remember.

If you've given up on reading paper books for the ease of your e-reader's screen, you may want to step back a bit. Neuroscience confirms that our brains use different areas to read on paper and screens, and you need to exercise both.

Plants have senses that put humans to shame. Not only do they hear (yes, it's true) and smell, they can also sense the presence of water, and even an object in their space. Now new research suggests that plants can actually learn and remember.

When a language goes extinct, it takes a wealth of knowledge about its local environment along with it. A new reports says that may be why languages and biodiversity are declining at similar rates around the world.

The Interior Department, responsible for the 59 national parks, has an extremely popular Instagram feed to share the beauty that the parks hold. And it's a good thing, a lot of us don't ever get to see the parks. One thing is certain if you've been to a national park recently — they are a huge draw for international tourists. Here are 20 amazing photos featured on the Interior's Instagram.

With corals in trouble around the world, researchers are examining the role of smell in telling fish to come to a healthy reef or stay away. That may help scientists find ways to manipulate the smells to help damaged reefs recover.

Diseases that can move between animals and humans — called zoonotic diseases — make up a majority of infectious diseases that humans can get, scientists say. So it's no wonder that out-of-control logging in West Africa has likely aided the spread of Ebola.

What’s a bunch of trees worth? Well, if they save your town from the storm surge of a huge typhoon, you might say they’re invaluable. That’s what happened to the community of General MacArthur, in the Philippines, and its fate holds a lesson for coastal communities around the world.

If you're not happy with the prospect of your children playing an unending stream of video games, tweeting, and texting when the weather forces them inside, how about some cool, do-it-yourself science projects you can do with them?